The Portland daily press., 1887-08-13
As Seen In Chatsworth.

CHICAGO, ILL.,, Aug. IA special from
Forest to the Times says: "As fast as the
wounded were brought into Chatsworth
from the wreck they we're taken directly to
the town hall, which has been turned into
temporary hospital. 1t is two story frame
building, the lower floor of which is used as
quarters for the local fire department, while
in the upper hall entertainments are given.
Beds and cots were brought in from the
neighboring houses, together with the neces-
sary bedding and the sufferers were cared
for tenderly. The scene was strongly sug-
gestive of the interior OF hospital on the
field of battle. Stretched out on the floor In
different directions, were the corpses of men,
women and children, dressed in the clothing
in which they had met their death. In an
empty store, room twenty feet wide and
forty feet long, were counted twenty-seven
corpses at one time: Their clothing was
torn and dlshevelled and their stiffened legs
and arms, in majority of instances, were
crossed over their breasts. The heads Of the
dead were generally mangled in most
frightful manner, A five year old boy, with
a chubby face and curly hair, looked con-
tented and smiling. HIS legs were not only
broken, but the flesh was so mangled that Ii
bore the appearance OF raw beef. His chest
was crushed in and his little body was COW
cred with bruises. Nearly every corpse was
mangled or disdgured. The faces of some
of the dead were black as though they had
died from suffering, while others were DEATH
ly white.
The pecuniary loss will be enormous. I'M
der the laws of Illinois the relatives Of the
killed will, if they have any claim at all,
deplete the treasury Of the Toledo, Peoria &
Western railroad of S350, 200, and those in
jured will receive at least quarter of mill
lion more.
Terrible Details of the Tragedy.
p, c. Church, commercial traveller for a
New York hardware house, arrived from
Peoria this morning and related many Incl
dents of the disaster. He says: 81 didn't
hear about it until yesterday morning. The
first report was that several hundred were
killed. There were 750 excursionists from
Peoria alone. A special train was made up
to go over to the scene Of the accident, about
sixty miles distant. A friend and myself
thought we would 60 over. At Chatsworth
there was row of dead bodies side by side
upon the depot platform. A piece Of paper
pinned to the breast gave the name of each
one The first body was a Chicago drum
mer. had met him the day before. He
got on the excursion train at little town
above Peoria, intending to save time. He
went to sleep, pass ng the place where he
was to get off, and was killed outright.
"Where the accident occurred, the first
thing we saw was a pile of smashed up
coaches, high as the telegraph poles. The
top Of the second chair car was shot up on
top of this, standing like a monument 15 feet
high
1--WE arrived in time to see Mr.. Murphy,
| the hotel keeper from Galesburg, climb out
of hole In the top of the first chair car He
pulled out his wife and baby, uninjured, but
almost exhausted, having been penned up
nearly IL hours. Mr.. Murphy went back in
| to the hole and pulled out alive a little baby,
| He had torn it from the arms of its dead
mother. After that he helped out an aged
| woman, whose back was injured
These five, together with two Others,
that car. The hotel keeper said that his wife
| was sitting in one seat and himself and the
| baby in the one Just behind, near the front
The baby was knocked off the seat, and he
stopped to pick her up as they shot into the
| timber penetrated the car. shooting acros:
the place where he had been sitting, and
struck young woman, who sat opposite, in
| the neck. He was pinned down by the tim
| Der, WHICH also DIOlbCltQ Hlul lIOm Dtl1t
smashed and saved his life. He looked across
the aisle and saw that the young woman.
head had fallen over on the back of her seat
hanging only by the skin.
"Three-fourths of the dead never knew
what killed them. One young looking moth
er held her baby in her arms. when timbe
striking the child in the back, impaled boil
the victims. The mothers face did not bea
a scratch, but the expression upon it will
haunt me to the grave. was sick when WI
returned from the catastrophe. Last nigh
would make any man sick. The depot a
Peoria was surrounded by 5000 people, wait
ing for news. A committee of 100 citizens
wearing Grape, were stationed at cabs to tax
care of the victims. All Peoria is in tears
Scores of her best citizens were on the train
and many young ladies. Everybody says |
was the jolliest party that ever started on al
excursion. They were as merry as schoo
children. Hundreds were present at tn
train to see their friends depart, but thous
ands were there to take their bodies away o.
the return"
Mr.. Church said that the action of tn
railroad officials after the accident was con
demned by almost everybody. Hundreds o
people got as tar as Forest on their way I
the wreck but had TO walk the rest of tn
distance, six miles, The officials rode u
and down the tracks, "A few slow-gOn
trains brought in the dead, but the wounde
and dying were left on the ground. No re